“There can be no reconciliation if the process deepens division.”
The election is over and although I did not win, the experience was invaluable. It was a journey filled with lessons, challenges, and moments that deepened my understanding of our community.
Throughout the campaign, my team and I discovered an overwhelming sense of community among the residents of North Coast and Haida Gwaii. The hardworking individuals who form the backbone of this region deserve recognition and celebration.
Yet, alongside these positive experiences, there were also dark ones: death threats, hateful emails, and cyber attacks.
A box of leaflets was stolen from my front porch and dumped in a nearby park. At least twice a day, my Facebook account was hacked, forcing us to repeatedly reset passwords. Then, during a live-radio leaders’ debate, BC NDP leader David Eby falsely accused me of saying the COVID-19 vaccine causes AIDS.
Following the CKNW radio debate – which was also televised on Global TV – I was inundated with hateful attacks and even received death threats on my X/Twitter account.
Overall, the hostility I experienced was unlike anything I’ve ever witnessed in an election campaign.
Smear tactics reach new low
The smear tactics, accusations and misinformation by opponents were unrelenting and reached an unprecedented low with Eby and the BC NDP’s vaccines-cause-AIDS claim against me.
For context, it is a fact that for some people, COVID-19 vaccines triggered problems with their immune system. A few in the online community dubbed the immune reactions VAIDS (vaccine acquired immune deficiency syndrome) as a play on the HIV condition that can sometimes progress to AIDS.
I know nothing about AIDS, nor did I reference it in the shared social media post. But I did empathize with people suffering from immune reactions. I understood, as the Premier and his team must also have known, that the online community was using the acronym VAIDS as a catchy descriptor, rather than actually saying COVID vaccines cause the disease HIV AIDS.
Obviously, I do not believe vaccines cause AIDS. I do, however, know that COVID vaccines have caused some people to suffer unintended negative immune responses.
But the BC NDP weren’t interested in the truth. Because falsehoods distracted and clouded genuine policy debates. While a few journalists fact-checked the details of this post and other smear attacks, a lot of misinformation went unchallenged.
This election taught me to distrust mainstream media and be more thoughtful about the use of social media, especially Twitter/X, which often magnifies controversies at the expense of meaningful discourse. It also reminded me to stay focused on what truly matters: the people of the riding and the future of British Columbia.
Divisive rhetoric deepens societal rifts
Another troubling aspect of the campaign involved attempts by the Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) and its leader, Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, to discredit BC Conservative Leader John Rustad following an interview he did with renowned psychologist and social media commentator, Dr. Jordan Peterson.
Phillip has a history of using the race card when it suits him, so he accused Rustad of supporting racism and “wingnut conspiracy theories.” The inflammatory labels used by the UBCIC were by design and appear to be motivated by the organization’s deep connections with elected NDP MLAs.
The Peterson interview focused on Rustad’s vision for the province, during which he clearly states economic reconciliation is a priority. As the former Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation, Rustad signed 435 agreements with First Nation communities. The agreements covered everything from forest and range agreements, to sharing forest revenue, clean energy revenue-sharing, to developing mining and pipeline projects.
Like me, Rustad understands the need to bring people and communities together to address legitimate concerns. Because reconciliation isn’t a one-way street.
Reconciliation isn’t a one-way street.
UBCIC’s divisive rhetoric only deepens societal rifts, a sentiment I heard on the campaign trail from Indigenous family and community members, as well as residential school survivors, who feel that Truth and Reconciliation Day has become more about division than unity.
While it is a time to reflect on the devastating impacts of residential school, it is also a time to showcase the positive steps we have taken as a people. We need to learn from what has worked and not worked, to give us hope for all the work that still needs to be done.
But there can be no reconciliation if the process deepens division.
False narratives ignored real issues
Besides the UBCIC’s vitriol, I also witnessed how political organizing by external unions negatively impacted our community.
While campaigning on Haida Gwaii, I met the treasurer for the B.C. General Employees Union (BCGEU) and local residents told me union members and leadership were campaigning for the NDP candidate, and against the BC Conservative leader and party.
According to union executives in the riding, Premier Eby had personally reached out, asking for their union’s support during the campaign.
Eby also spread false narratives about the Conservative party’s intentions, including misleading claims that we planned to cut healthcare, pensions, and education support. Eby’s own staff repeated the accusations, even though none were true.
Misleading narratives, amplified by political campaigns, have real-world consequences. These tactics stifled opportunities for our region by ignoring the real issues overwhelming people.
Heart-wrenching stories of financial distress
The stories I heard from residents were heart-wrenching.
Teachers, healthcare workers, longshoremen, and countless others are struggling financially. Some face the difficult decision of having to consider leaving the region for better opportunities.
Retirees grapple with high taxes and limited access to health care. A retired nurse had to go back to work to make ends meet, and then was forced to sell their house (and return to rental housing) to cover the costs of long-term care for a family member.
A friend of mine, the head of a union, is leaving the riding to secure more work, because they can’t make enough money to support their family.
A union president! How has this happened?
Political divisiveness holds region back
The October 2024 election underscored an ‘us versus them’ environment, not just between political parties, but within our community itself.
I was called a “sellout Indian” for running as a BC Conservative. A community member said their own friends refused to talk to them, because they were supporting me. After a local candidates’ debate, a woman told me she hoped I wouldn’t eat crow for telling the truth about the state of our healthcare system.
It was ridiculous. I got attacked for trying to bring common sense to the problems plaguing our riding and province.
This political division holds Prince Rupert and the north back. You can’t keep making the same choices and expect different outcomes. It’s the definition of insanity.
I got attacked for trying to bring common sense to the problems plaguing our province.
There are always lessons to learn and opportunities for improvement from any campaign.
The BC Conservatives made significant strides as a provincial team. In just 18 months, we expanded from one candidate to a full slate of 93. We won 44 seats, the largest opposition in B.C. history.
And 41 per cent of the Conservative caucus are women. Unlike the NDP, Conservatives nominated a diverse slate of candidates from across the province without an “equity mandate.” And British Columbians voted them into office, breathing life back into the Conservative Party of B.C.
This is just the beginning. John Rustad now leads a strong Official Opposition to hold government to account and advocate for the interests of British Columbians.
Time to seize our potential
Our region has unlimited potential, but we need to change course to realize it.
As someone whose parents were deeply involved in the union movement — my mother as a shore worker and my father with the Northern Native Brotherhood — I believe in the power of unions. I believe we need to think about our global impact and act locally to leverage it.
The North Coast Haida Gwaii riding could be an international global powerhouse for trade and resource development, generating prosperity and growth, and helping thousands who need a hand up. But the current political and union climate is preventing the region from developing resources and fully engaging with world markets.
We can’t keep dumping money into a fictitious economy with no actual production. The BC NDP need to acknowledge the province’s finances are in serious trouble and support the region to reach its full potential. Otherwise, the residents must live with the consequences of a weak economy and dwindling jobs.
It’s time for bold action. Because nothing changes if nothing changes.